Since the emergence of COVID-19 two years ago, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has been implementing stringent public health measures to protect the safety of its employees and customers. An integral part of the measures is arranging regular COVID-tests for employees, jockeys, trainers and officials who are involved in racing as part of the racing bubble. This comprehensive testing programme presently includes jockeys doing 4 PCR tests per week, trainers and assistant trainers doing 2 PCR plus 2 LFT tests per week , work riders and race day staff doing 2 PCR tests per week plus LFT tests on raceday morning and all other racing staff doing daily LFT tests. No employee has been tested positive over the past two years.

The Club was notified by our Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at around 8:38pm yesterday (4 February)  that following the regular testing exercise carried out in yesterday morning, a work rider working at Chris So’s stable was tested preliminary positive. The Club has taken immediate actions to mitigate the potential risk to other employees, including tracing and tracking of the preliminary positive case. We have identified six direct contacts and arranged immediate PCR test for all of them at around midnight Friday. Of these six direct contacts, two employees who are residing in the same unit of a Club residential building as the concerned employee have results returned negative. The results of the other four direct contacts are pending. We were also informed by the concerned employee that he had attended a wedding on 29 January and one of his friends present at the same function has just been tested positive. The CMO has reported the preliminary positive case and relevant information to the public health authority.

The Club has also arranged for deep cleaning and disinfection for the concerned residential building and other facilities.

In view of the prevailing pandemic situation in Hong Kong, the Club has earlier decided to intensify the frequency of our regular COVID-19 test for around 1200 employees with racing related duties to a 7- day week testing regime (six PCR and 1 LFT) starting from next Monday. Given this new development, the Club has decided to progressively advance this arrangement to start from today and fully implement on next Monday.